Pregnancy and motherhood are never easy, especially if it's a woman's first time around the block. However, things become even more difficult the younger you are when it happens. These moms share their confessions of when they got pregnant as teenagers.

Some share happy stories, where the parents or the baby’s father was supportive and helping in the situation. In some cases, having a baby at a young age forced the mom to grow up and turned out to be a blessing in disguise. On the other hand, some former teen moms share stories where their loved ones were the complete opposite of supportive. Some young teens found themselves homeless when they became pregnant or had to leave their home because they refused to follow their parent’s wishes about the pregnancy. Other teen moms chose abortion or adoption because their circumstances were so dire that they couldn’t even think about raising a child.

If anything is clear from these confessions, it’s that pregnancy and motherhood are exceptionally more difficult if you’re facing these challenges as a teen. And it’s ten times worse if your family isn’t behind you, backing you up. These confessions demonstrate the need for more resources, services, and opportunities to be made available to struggling teen mothers, so that they can support and raise their child while navigating the real world. A woman shouldn’t have to choose between her education and having a roof over her head simply because she had an unplanned pregnancy. Teen moms everywhere deserve support, encouragement, and love, because it's a terrifying and life changing position to be in.

15 Homeless And Pregnant

When Eve* became pregnant as a teen, she didn’t question her decision to keep her daughter. However, one of the consequences was that she soon found herself homeless, which proved to be an entirely different challenge.

“I never told anyone at the time, but when I was pregnant and during my daughter’s first year, we were homeless. I got pregnant when I was 16, but both of my parents were unsupportive. They are divorced and neither wanted me (and especially not a baby) to live with them. The baby’s father and I were never in a relationship, so the baby and me were on our own.

For almost the next two years, I was living out of a car. I’d drive to random gas stations to use their bathrooms. Even when my daughter was born, we didn’t have anywhere to go, so she’d sleep in her car seat in the front and I’d take the backseat at night. We’d park in random parking lots and sometimes had to move if security guards found us.

I was too terrified to tell anyone about my situation because I was scared Child Services would take my baby away from me. I’m lucky that the situation was only temporary and that we now have a roof over our heads.”

14 In Over Her Head

Maia* had absolutely no help from her family when she discovered she was pregnant. After trying to parent on her own, she decided adoption was the best option for both her and her baby:

“I was 14 when I got pregnant. My mom was a single mom with 3 other kids to raise, so she told me she wouldn’t be there to help me if I went through with the pregnancy. But, I decided to have the baby and I never regretted something so badly.

When I say my mom didn’t help with anything, I mean she really didn’t help. I didn’t realize I’d need childcare for the baby when I went back to school. I also didn’t realize how much supplies I’d need - I hadn’t even bought a crib when I brought the baby home from the hospital. Long story short, I spent 4 miserable weeks trying to be a parent and I couldn’t take it any longer. I ended up placing my baby up for adoption after taking him home. I never knew who he was adopted by and no one in my family cared to ask me anything about it (they were just glad the screaming baby was gone). I moved away to College a couple years later and have never looked back.”

13 Baby Daddy Drama

Sophia* had a difficult enough time while being pregnant at 17. But, things got even worse when she had to return to high school and discovered her former boyfriend was already in a serious relationship with someone else.

“I got pregnant when I was in Grade 11 and the entire pregnancy was a classic story of my boyfriend not believing it was his baby. He told everyone it wasn’t his and that we’d broken up months before I got pregnant, which was not the truth. He broke up with me a couple months after telling him because he said he felt stressed and captured.

I delivered my baby in the summer and returned to high school in the fall. But things were horrible there because he started seriously dating someone new. She then started telling everyone my baby wasn’t his, but that one day she and him were going to have kids. I’m pretty sure they packed on the PDA just to make me upset, which worked. Even though he was horrible, I was still in love with him and wanted him to be there for our family. He still hasn’t changed to this day.”

12 The Second Time Around

Alison* knew it was the right decision to have her baby during her first pregnancy. But, when she found out she was pregnant for a second time, she knew she’d have to make a different decision.

“I had my first baby when I was 15. I decided to keep my son without a second thought. I was lucky to have a supportive boyfriend at the time who wanted to start a family with me. I thought everything was going to be okay after that.

But, a little bit over a year after my first pregnancy, I discovered I was pregnant again. We weren’t in any financial position to have another child and mine and my boyfriend’s relationship was going sour quickly. I decided to have an abortion. I have never felt so guilty over something; I know it was the right decision, but I also could never have imagined aborting my son, so I can’t believe I’ve done that to another baby. I keep telling myself that I did it for my son, otherwise I don’t know what kind of life I could have given him. I wasn' ready to be a mom to two kids at 17. I just always wonder what my second baby would be like. Moral of the story is to always use protection, I guess.”

11 Future Consequences

Abortion can have serious complications and consequences into the future. After having two abortions as a teen, Marjorie* is concerned this could be the cause of her current infertility struggles.

“I had two unplanned pregnancies when I was really young, but both ended in abortions. The first was when I was 12 and then the second time when I was 17. I don’t regret aborting the pregnancies because I couldn’t have raised a child at my age back then, but now I’m worried that it’s causing my infertility struggles.

My boyfriend and I have been trying for over a year to get pregnant with no luck. I haven’t told him about my abortions because I’m scared those are the reasons we’re not getting pregnant. I’m worried he’ll be angry and blame me. All I want is a family, so I don’t know why it happened then but not now.”

10 Drunken Drama

When you get pregnant as a teenager, you still have a lot of growing up to do yourself. Marisol* had a tough lesson to learn when she was a mom but also wanted to hang out with her friends like a normal teenager.

“I had my daughter when I was 16, but I knew I wasn’t ready to be a mom. My parents helped out a lot with Gemma*, so I was still able to have a bit of a social life. One Friday I wanted to go to a party, but my mom said no because I needed to start acting like a responsible mother.

I was really rebellious and defiant back then, so I ended up sneaking out. I went to the party and got super drunk but came back home because I felt guilty. Gemma’s crib was in my room, so I just ended up sitting beside it and crying. My mom came in to see why I was crying and I confessed to her that I snuck out of the house. She was pretty angry that I was drunk (I was also supposed to be breast feeding, but I couldn’t since I had drank). But she ended up just making me some tea and tucked me into bed. That was definitely one of the last times I partied after becoming a mom.”

9 To Make Him Stay

When you’re young, you often don’t realize the responsibility that comes with being an adult as well as a parent. Cameron* wanted to start a family as a teenager, but she didn’t realize until after having her baby how challenging that would be.

“Ever since I was a little girl, all I wanted to do was get married. I’d been in relationships since I was 11 years old, so I had always been boy crazy and obsessed with getting married and starting a family. When I was 16, I had been dating a guy who I thought was the love of my life. I was a couple years older and already graduated high school. He was working as a mechanic and had his own apartment, so I figured we could live together as soon as I was old enough.

I ended up finding out he cheated on me and wanted to leave me for her. I decided to get pregnant because I thought it would make him stay with me. I stopped taking birth control and got pregnant really quickly after that. Turns out, he wasn’t as supportive as I thought he would be, and we ended up breaking up before our son was born. Motherhood was nothing like I imagined it would be and I have never regretted something as much as having a baby so young. I love my little boy with all my heart, but I wish I had him when I was older so I could provide for him more.”

8 Double Trouble

Debra* thought she was in for a ride when she found out she was pregnant, but it wasn’t until she found out she was expecting twins that the drama actually started.

“My high school boyfriend and I hadn’t been dating long before we found out I was pregnant. He was the first person I had ever been with, so there was no chance the baby wasn’t his. He seemed okay with everything and wanted to be involved in the baby’s life, that is until we discovered I was having twins.

That was like his tipping point, or something. He spread a bunch of rumours around school, saying things like the babies weren’t his or that one was his and the other was someone else’s child. He eventually got suspended for bullying, but I turned to home-schooling before that. Needless to say he wasn’t in his daughters' lives after that point.”

7 Worried And Waiting

Jasleen* was so afraid of how her parents would react to her being pregnant, that she waited until almost her third trimester to tell them about it. And their reaction is just as you would expect.

"I got pregnant during my last year of high school when I was 18. My boyfriend was moving to college, but he said I could move with him and I’d stay with the baby while he went to classes and vice versa. It wasn’t a great plan, but I thought it would work at the time.

I was so scared of my parents’ reaction, that I didn’t tell them until I was almost 6 months pregnant. I just wore a lot of baggy clothes and, since I’m naturally petite, pregnancy wasn’t too noticeable on me. I finally told them when I couldn’t hide it any longer and my sister found out. They were furious and completely shocked and basically locked me in the house. But, in the end, they were pretty supportive. I didn’t move with my boyfriend to college, but my parents helped me while I went to school and raised my son.”

6 International Pregnancy

Ericka* recalls the time when a former classmate of hers became pregnant during an overseas school trip, only to be sent back to the country once her parents found out about her condition.

“I had this classmate in high school who got pregnant when my class took a special trip to France. She met some guy at the hotel and they dated for the three weeks that we were there, but a couple months after we came back our teacher made an announcement saying she wasn’t going to be attending school there anymore because she was pregnant.

I later learned that she was sent to go stay with relatives in France to deliver the baby so she could be with the father. The entire story was really strange, but so was her family, so I guess it kind of makes sense in that way.”

5  Who's The Daddy?

Lila* was terrified when she became pregnant at 18, not only because she was about to become a first-time mother as a teen, but because she also wasn’t sure who the father was.

“I went through a very rebellious, troubling time in my mid teens when I was very promiscuous and experimenting with a lot of things. I ended up finding out I was pregnant at 18, but I wasn’t sure who the father was. I had been casually seeing a couple guys and hooking up with a few more around the time, so I couldn’t know exactly whose it was.

I was very ashamed and never told my parents who the father was. I ended up putting my son up for adoption, which was the right choice since he was adopted by a lovely couple. I still get updates about him, and I think I know who my boy’s father is, although I’ll never have the test to prove it officially.”

4 Family Matters

When Alina* became pregnant as a teen, her family knew how they wanted to handle it, but that doesn’t mean it was the way Alina wanted things to be done.

“I grew up in a very religious family that doesn’t believe in sex before marriage. So, when they found out I was pregnant at 17, they were shocked and mortified. My parents just wanted to put my interests first, but they believed that meant putting the baby up for adoption. They never even entertained the idea of me raising her.

My Aunt and Uncle volunteered to adopt my daughter. To this day, she doesn’t know that I’m really her mother. I stayed with my Aunt and Uncle from when I was 6 months to when I delivered, so not a lot of people know I was actually pregnant. I avoid talking about it because it’s a painful memory, especially now that I watch my daughter being raised by someone she calls ‘mom’ who isn’t me. This was probably the right decision, but I wish I’d had more of a say in it rather than my parents deciding everything for me.”

3 Run Away Mother

Keandra’s* mom thought that an abortion would be the best option for her daughter, but Keandra decided to have her baby, even if it meant she’d have to leave home.

“My mom had me when she was really young, so she always told me to use protection. Or else, she said she would make me have an abortion because she didn’t want me going through what she went through when she tried to raise me.

She was so angry when I told her I was pregnant when I was 17. She told me we’d have to get it ‘taken care’ of and that was going to be it. I begged for her not to do it, but she said it was for the best and that I’d understand one day. A couple days before my abortion appointment, I moved in with my boyfriend without telling my mom. I left her a note saying I was going to raise the baby on my own and not to come looking for me. I didn’t talk to her for three years and it was the hardest three years of my life. But I don’t regret choosing to raise my son.”

2 For The Best

Charlotte* admits she wasn’t ready to be a mother and that the responsibilities of parenthood were too difficult for her to bare at such a young age. Instead of facing her fears, she decided to run.

“I never tell anyone, but my younger sister is actually my daughter. I got pregnant when I was 18 and finished my first year of College. The Dad wasn’t in the picture, but my parents said they would help me in every way possible. They bought me a car so I could drive back and forth from school and wouldn’t have to live on campus. They bought the baby and me everything we’d need.

When Abby* was born, of course I loved her to death, but I was so scared to do anything alone with her. My mom and dad were so good with her, and doing anything just reminded me how unready I was to be a mom.

I ended up breaking down and telling my parents I didn’t want Abby anymore and wanted to give her up for adoption. I told them I had plans to move to California and transfer schools after an adoption was finalized. Without hesitation my parents said they would raise her as their own if I didn’t feel able to. I agreed and signed custody over to them. Ever since, they’ve been raising Abby to think she’s my sister rather than my daughter, and I honestly think it’s been for the best.”

1 My Motivation

Della* was mixing with the wrong crowd before she got pregnant, but having a baby at a young age motivated her to clean up her lifestyle and get her life together so she could raise her child.

“Having my daughter as a teenager saved my life. Before I got pregnant at 17, I was hard-core experimenting with drugs, sleeping around, and hanging out with the wrong people. I went to the doctor because I thought I had an STD, but left discovering I was actually pregnant. That news motivated me to be the best version I could be.

I sobered up, cut off contact with a bunch of bad people in my life, and got out of my unstable living condition. I moved in with an Aunt who helped me get a part time job and my GED all before Heather* was born. Instead of feeling lonely and depressed, Heather made me feel like I had something to live for. I’m scared to think about where I would be if I hadn’t have had her.”

No matter what their circumstances were, none of these young mothers had an easy time with their teenage pregnancy, as evidenced by these heartbreaking confessions. Some of these former teen moms were kicked out of their homes or pressured into having an abortion or giving their child up for adoption. Other times, nasty rumours were spread about the expectant teen mother, unfortunately often by the baby’s father himself. Sometimes, it took delivering the baby and taking it home for the teen mom to realize she was in over her head and that she had to choose another option for her child.

These women deserve a huge round of applause for putting themselves and their babies first, no matter the consequences. Whether they chose abortion, adoption, or to raise the baby, these women had to make difficult decisions at a time when they were still very young and considered a child. It’s clear that being pregnant and becoming a mother as a teen is a great understated challenge, which is why it’s so impressive these women made the most of their situations, regardless of who was or was not there for them during and after their pregnancy.